Help Me Get Back
by Lalaith Rana
Summary: When Rachel falls into Middleearth Gildor brings her back to Mirkwood. Will Rachel be able to cope? What will happen when she decides she would rather be back home with her friends, her family, and her old life?
1. New Places New Faces

Help Me Get Back  
  
By Elerrina  
  
"Lle anta amin tu?," the elf asked, approaching the motionless form laying in a clearing in Mirkwood Forest. (Do you need help?)  
  
_I wonder if she is dead.  
_  
He crouched over her and pressed his fingertips to her neck, checking for a pulse. It was there, slow and steady.  
  
_Is she of the race of Men or Elves_? he wondered. _Her aura is strange, it seems like it contains both the soul of a Man and an Elf. _The elf pushed her hair away from her ear, which came to a delicate point.  
  
She looked strange for an elf, especially her clothes. She was not dressed as a maiden, but more like a man. Her pants were made of some strange fabric, blue in color and thicker than elvish material. Her shirt was a plain red, tighter than the elves normally wore their clothing. The shoes she was wearing were not the cloth boots that elves wore.  
  
The elf maiden's eyes flickered open and she gave an involuntary moan. Seeing the male over her, her eyes took on a frightened look.  
  
"Lle quena i'labe tel'Eldalie?" the man asked in his tongue, but when she didn't respond he spoke to her in Common Tongue. "Do not be frightened, my lady. I will help you. Are you well?" (Do you speak elvish?)  
  
"I... I think so... my lord," she added, after remembering the way he spoke to her. "I have a small headache, and my back is a bit sore, but other than that..." she trailed off.  
  
"Come, let us go to the palace. We shall get you proper clothing and accommodations."  
  
"Palace? Where am I?" she questioned.  
  
"Do you not know? This is Mirkwood," he answered.  
  
"Mirkwood? When?" the elf maiden interrogated.  
  
"This is the Third Age."  
  
"I'm in... Middle... Earth." The girl fainted from surprise.  
  
He picked her up and carried her to the palace.

* * *

  
  
When she woke again, she was laying on a large bed in a stone room.  
  
"You are awake." A melodic voice came from a corner of the room. "How are you feeling?"  
  
She looked over at her and gasped. Her blond hair fell past her shoulders. Her eyes were a blue that held wisdom. They suggested that she had lived much longer than any woman, but that was believable, since she was an elf. Her dress... well, it was hard to put words to.  
  
"Um, better. Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Linwë," she replied. "I will be caring for you while you are here. No one informed me of your name."  
  
"Rachel."  
  
"It is a pleasure meeting you, Rachel. May I ask where you are from? I have not seen you here before. Perhaps Rivendell, or Lothlorien?"  
  
"Neither of them. I'm not from around here. No offence, but what happened to the person that brought me here?"  
  
"Gildor? He brought you here and took you to the King. He said to take you to a spare room and care for you until you were able to speak with him. I was assigned to look after you because I speak Common Tongue well."  
  
"Gildor? I think I've heard of him."  
  
"You know him?"  
  
"No. I don't know him, but I do know of him."  
  
There was a knock on the door and an elf maiden stuck her head in.  
  
"Linwë, Arwen is looking everywhere for you. She has just arrived. She told me that she and Aragorn heard some important news from the hobbits. I am not permitted to tell you myself.  
  
Linwë jumped up. "Thank you. Would you mind staying here with Rachel and helping her, Ireth? Gildor found her unconscious in the forest."  
  
"Of course, now hurry."  
  
Linwë did as she was told and quickly strode out of the room in search of Queen Arwen Undomiel.  
  
"Are you feeling well enough to get up? There is a beautiful dress laid out for you. What is it?" Ireth asked, catching the strange look Rachel was giving her.  
  
"What is the date?"  
  
"Today is the 9th of January. If you are feeling well, you will see the King soon, you will need to be presentable. You will need to get dressed."  
  
As Rachel stood up, she asked, "Is the news Arwen has, that Saruman is dead? Wormtongue has slain him?"  
  
"How... how did you know that?" Ireth stammered.  
  
"Just a guess. How do you get this on?"  
  
"Here, let me help you."  
  
It took five minutes to get the dress on correctly since Rachel had to sit down a few times to catch her breath. She was not fully recovered. When Rachel looked in the mirror, she nearly fainted again.  
  
"Mani naa ta?!" Ireth cried, rushing over.  
  
"Huh?" Rachel asked.  
  
"I am sorry. You worried me. I forgot that you do not speak Elvish. What is wrong?"  
  
"I'm... I'm an... elf," she stated, seeing her ears.  
  
"Of course, what did you think you were?"  
  
"I don't know. I think I lost my memory or something," she lied, not wanting to explain things quite yet.  
  
Linwë strolled back into the room.  
  
"Thank you for finding me, Ireth. The tidings that Arwen brought are very good news."  
  
"I know. Now, I will leave you alone so that you may rest. Goodbye, Rachel. If you need to help, I'm always willing."  
  
"Thanks. I'll look you up sometime later. You've helped me. Goodbye."  
  
"So, could I have a tour? I have no idea where anything is here?"  
  
"Yes, of course. I forgot about that. I apologize." She beckoned her. "Come, I will show you."  
  
"Thank you. I am honored," she tried to impersonate elvish talk. "We will need to go slow. I'm not quite fully recovered.  
  
As Linwë gave her the tour of Mirkwood, she introduced her to many elves. All of them greeted Linwë as a friend. She forgot most of the names and faces, but a few stuck. Itarildë, an elf maiden, seemed to be a very close friend of Linwë. And Amras, who talked to Linwë like a brother.  
  
"I believe that that is all. I am sure that if you need to get somewhere, someone will be happy to help you if you are lost. Believe me, it is very easy to get lost. Most of our guests do when they first arrive, but you will get used to it in time."  
  
"Okay," Rachel replied, trying to get her mind to process all of the information that it had just received.  
  
"Try to find your way back to your room? I will walk with you and correct you if you make a wrong turn," Linwë proposed.  
  
"I suppose," Rachel agreed. She walked slowly, looking down every corridor she passed. Her first turn was correct, but her second wasn't. Linwë only had to correct her twice.  
  
"Was that hard?" she asked.  
  
"I guess not, but I still don't think I'll go wandering without a guide anytime soon," she confided.  
  
Linwë chuckled. "Come. It is time to go to the dining hall for dinner. I will show you the way. You will be my companion for tonight. I eat at a table with Ireth, Itarildë, Amras and others."  
  
Rachel shifted uncomfortably. "Are you sure? I mean, I just arrived, maybe I should eat by myself, until I'm stronger?"  
  
"Of course I'm sure. You must meet the people here."  
  
"As you wish."  
  
Linwë led the way back through the halls to the dining hall where most of the elves had already gathered.  
  
The hall rang with musical laughter as they ate. The elves are known for their parties, and their regular meals are not lacking.  
  
As Rachel sat, listening to the speech of the elves, she thought, [I wish that meals on Earth were this good. I'd never be hungry again.]  
  
"Are you enjoying yourself, my lady?" Rachel jumped when a Man spoke to her.  
  
"Yes, I am. I just wish that I could understand Elvish. There would be much to listen to if I could," she replied.  
  
"Ah, but do you not know Sindarin? I thought that you would, you being an elf."  
  
"Unfortunately, I do not. I am not from Mirkwood, so I do not understand their language. Do you?"  
  
"Yes. Some of the conversations are interesting. It is fun to listen to them speak. I was eavesdropping on some speaking about the Fellowship. It differed quite a bit from what actually happened. You do know of the Fellowship, don't you, my lady?"  
  
"Yes. I do. I know much about it. I was always trying to get more information about it. And please, do not call me 'my lady'. It is uncomfortable. My name is Rachel. And you?"  
  
"Of course, my la--, Rachel. My name is Aragorn or King Elessar. I did not wish to dine at the front table. What do you wish to know about us? I know much, for I was in it."  
  
After about five minutes of talking to King Elessar and eating, Linwë turned and realized that she had not been very polite to her guest.  
  
"Please forgive me, Rachel. I forgot that you do not know Sindarin. Thank you for speaking to her, Aragorn."  
  
"I don't mind. She is interested in the Fellowship and knows much about it. How she learned, she refuses to tell, but she has been very well informed. It has been my pleasure speaking with her, and hope to have the privilege again."  
  
Rachel laughed. "The pleasure was mine. Out talk has been very informative."

* * *

When Rachel woke up, all that she remembered was that she had been at dinner, and had drunk some dark red liquid with a very exquisite taste. When she had asked Aragorn what it was, he had laughed, and informed her that it was elven wine. "Haven't you ever had it before," he had inquired.  
  
She didn't have a hangover, thankfully, because elves don't react to alcohol the same way that Men would, but she still couldn't remember anything after her first drink.  
  
"Mae aur (good morning)," Linwë greeted her, opening the door. "It is a beautiful day outside, and Gildor wishes to speak to you in the gardens. There are dresses in your bureau. You should be able to get them on yourself, they are much simpler."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"I will be waiting for you outside your door. Unless, of course, you know your way to the gardens."  
  
"Oh, you know I don't, Linwë. I'll be out in a minute."  
  
When Linwë had shut the door, Rachel went to her dresser and picked out a dark green, long sleeved dress since Linwë had told her that it was January. She slipped into it, and then pulled a brush through her thick, brown hair, braided it, and tied it with a silver cord, it was not style of elves, but it kept her hair out of her face.  
  
She stepped out into the hall where Linwë was waiting.  
  
"You are dressing to impress, I see," Linwë smiled. "Gildor is bound to an elf already, Rachel."  
  
"What? Oh, no. I don't want to win him over. I don't look that nice do I?" Rachel questioned.  
  
"Of course you do. Come, I will show you to the garden."  
  
Linwë led the way out to the garden where Gildor was waiting. She exchanged a few friendly words with him and then left Rachel alone with him to talk.

a/n: I decided to post this again after I revised it a lot. I didn't like it at all before because it didn't make much sense.

I hope you enjoy it!

Also, the elven names are names I found using a name generator. They are my friends and my names.

-Elerrina


	2. Dear Diary

Help Me Get Back  
  
Elerrina  
  
Chapter 2: Dear Diary  
  
"It's good to see you awake, my lady."  
  
"It's good to be awake. Please, don't call me 'my lady', I don't really like the title."  
  
"As you wish. Your name is Rachel?" he asked, slowly pronouncing her name so that he got it right.  
  
"Yes it is. I want to thank you for finding me. I don't know what I would have done if I had woken up alone."  
  
"I am sure that you would have thought of something, my lady. You seem to be educated."  
  
"You don't need to call me 'my lady'. I told you that. Would you care if I called you Gildor?"  
  
"No, I suppose it will be alright. May I ask how I came to find you in the forest?"  
  
"Um, I'd rather not discuss it, if that's alright with you. If you insist on having an explanation, I guess I owe it to you, though."  
  
"That is quite alright. Where are you from?" he questioned.  
  
"I'm from... oh, I don't know how to explain it so that you can understand. I'm not from anyplace that you are familiar to. I'm sorry that I can't explain it better," she apologized.  
  
"Gildor! I am glad that I found you! You are needed in the forest! We are battling with the spiders again, your bow would be of much help!" a messenger cried.  
  
"I apologize that I must leave you so soon, we may be able to meet later. I really must go!"  
  
"Good-bye Gildor, and thank you!" she called after his retreating form. "Well, that was short."  
  
Oh, great. I was relying on Gildor to show me back. I have no idea how to get back. I suppose I'll just have to wander and hope I run into someone who will show me back. she realized.  
  
She walked around in circles looking for a way out. Somehow she found her way to the archery fields. There were a few elves practicing but most of them were gathered around a tall blond elf. From the talk she gathered that he was the Prince Legolas Thrandulion.  
  
He was giving a demonstration, his aim perfect, every time his arrow hit its mark. He even shot two arrows at once. He turned to watch some others practice, but someone on the edge of the field caught his eye.  
  
"Mankoi naa lle sinome?" (Why are you here?) He walked over to where she was standing, among the trees.  
  
"I don't know Elvish," she told him, hoping he knew Common Tongue.  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"I met Gildor in the gardens and was hoping he could help me back, but he was called away to help fight off some spiders. What are these spiders? I hear about them all them time, I mean, spiders are just little bugs, right?"  
  
"No, not these spiders. These spiders are large. They are around the size of a human. They eat elves, horses, and anything else that they can get their pincers on."  
  
"And I was out in the woods with them, unconscious?" Rachel said, shuddering.  
  
"Yes. You were lucky. You were found closer to the palace than most of them dare to go, and it is on constant patrol."  
  
"Oh. Well, I'll never stray too far away from here."  
  
"That's a good idea. At least do not go far without someone with you. Do you need something?"  
  
"Um... well, actually... I'm not quite sure how to get back to my room," she admitted. "I was counting on Gildor to take me back."  
  
"Well, I will be happy to show you back, my lady."  
  
"Really? Thank you!"  
  
She doesn't say my lord? It's kind of a relief... wait, no, I am her lord. She should recognize that.  
  
"Would you happen to be the girl that Gildor found in the woods?" When she nodded he told her, "My father wishes to see you sometime."  
  
"So I've heard."  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
"Rachel Johnson."  
  
"Ray-shell?"  
  
"Ray-chel," she corrected.  
  
"I apologize. Your name is strange. I believe that I know where your room is. How is Linwë caring for you?"  
  
"Oh, she's great! I couldn't ask for a better person to help me! How do you know her?" Rachel asked.  
  
"She is one of my closer friends. I met her a while ago when Amras introduced us. She and Arwen are close friends."  
  
"I noticed. She left to talk to her right when Arwen and Aragorn arrived. What was it like traveling with Aragorn for so long?"  
  
"It was interesting, my lady. We had met before and were friends."  
  
"So... you're friends with Amras? What's he like? What does he do?"  
  
"You are interested in people. He and Linwë are close. She does not like it that he is on the guard. She wishes he would have a safer job after he was almost killed while fighting the spiders."  
  
"Oh, I can understand why."  
  
"Amras is talented with both bow and sword."  
  
"But don't you ever get scared for your life? Don't you ever think, 'This could be the last day of my life?'"  
  
"I don't think of that. I think about what I can do to help the people of Mirkwood. Sometimes if something is precious to you, you do everything in your power to protect it, even if it requires your life to save it."  
  
"You're brave."  
  
"To answer your question though, yes, I sometimes do get frightened that I may loose my life. My younger sister would be devastated if I died. Where is your family?"  
  
"They aren't from around here. Um... I don't know."  
  
"I am sure that they would be worried if they lost you."  
  
_I wonder if they are worried right now? Do they know that I am here? Or am I dead there? Did I just disappear out of thin air? Or is my body there? How did I get here?  
_  
"Are you alright, Rachel? You look worried."  
  
"I have some things on my mind. Don't worry about it though."  
  
"Are you sure? It helps to talk about things sometimes."  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
They walked in silence until they reached Rachel's room.  
  
"Thanks for bringing me back here. I don't know what I would have done without you... actually, I probably would have wandered a lot until someone else showed me the way."  
  
"If you need anything I will be willing to help you. I will most likely see you again soon. When you are ready, speak to my father. He may be able to help you."  
  
Rachel walked into her room and closed the door behind her, then leaned up against it. _I certainly hope that someone can help me. I want to see my family again... But then again, Legolas... no, he's a prince... and I have a boyfriend back home... but will I ever be able to see him again?  
_  
She rummaged around her room, wondering what all she had in there. She found a small book, quill and ink. She opened the book to find it blank. She had had a journal back at home, so she decided to start one here.  
  
_Dear Journal,  
  
I cannot believe that I am in Middle-earth. The last thing that I remember from Earth is that it was right after school and I crashed on my bed and fell asleep. The next thing I know, I wake up in a forest with an elf, Gildor Inglorien, you know the one who Frodo, Sam, and Pippin met on their way to Crickhollow, standing over me, asking me if I was okay and talking in a strange language I now know as Sindarin. He told me that I was in Mirkwood and it was the Third Age. I think that I fainted then.  
  
When I next woke up I was in this—my—room. There was another elf, female this time, named Linwë. She helped me into a gorgeous dress, as far as dresses go. That was when I noticed that I had pointed ears. I almost fainted again, but luckily, I didn't. Linwë showed me around Mirkwood and introduced me to three of her friends: Amras, Ireth, and... Itarildë I believe. They were nice, but they didn't really talk to me at all.  
  
Linwë had me eat supper with her. It was a nice gesture, but she kind of forgot about me and talked in Sindarin to her friends. The good part of it was that I got to talk to Aragorn, yes, the Aragorn, King Elessar. It was amazing. He is very interesting. We talked about the Fellowship, and Gondor and the different things that he has done in his lifetime, him being about ninety, if not older, he has done a lot. Arwen was sitting next to him, but she kept chatting in elvish so I wasn't able to meet her. Aragorn asked about me, and my family, but the best I could do was to tell him that we "weren't from around her". I don't want to keep avoiding the question, but I don't think that anyone would believe me.  
  
The meal was amazing! Elves really know how to cook, but since they've had thousands of years to perfect it, I suppose that they should be. Since I'm only 16 I've never had wine before, but they had it, and nothing else, so I drank it. It tasted sweet, like berries. I guess that elves have a certain tolerance to wine, even though I don't remember much of what happened that night after my second glass.  
  
Linwë told me today that Gildor wished to talk to me in the gardens. She led me out there and I was counting on him to show me back to my room. We talked for a little bit, but he was called off to help fight the giant spiders because they had been getting too close. He never got to show me where to go. So I wandered around, hoping to find someone to help me. Well, I did.  
  
I stumbled on the archery fields, where I saw Legolas practicing. I couldn't believe that I met the prince.  
  
Legolas Thrandulion... Prince of Mirkwood... was... everything that I could have imagined and more. He looked kind of like how Orlando Bloom portrayed him, but somehow, not anything like that.  
  
His eyes were the most beautiful eyes that I had ever seen. They were so deep and held such wisdom that I would trust anything that he said and not question it. The blue... I don't know. It's almost impossible to describe. His hair looked so silky that it would slip through his fingers like water.  
  
He was polite. Don't get me wrong, all the elves have been courteous to me, but they make it seem like they are my superiors. Linwë is nice, but it does seem like she's looking down on me sometimes, even if she doesn't mean to. But the way Legolas talks, it seems like he wants to be your equal. And come to think about him being a prince he's probably had a lot of practice talking like that since he wouldn't want people thinking that he was their better.  
  
He's graceful. You know how some girls walk around with a book on their head to try to be more elegant? Well, it's almost like he's done that with ten books every day.  
  
Being here makes me think that maybe Tolkien was somehow transported here himself. That may be how he was able to describe everything so well.  
  
As I looked at Legolas right before I closed my door, I thought about how nice he was and how I might be able to be happy here, but the more I think about it, the more I miss my family, my friends, and Kyle. My boyfriend was always great to me. I can't wait to get back. But I wonder if they even know that I'm missing, or am I maybe dead there? When—if I see him again will he even believe me?  
  
I think that I'll tell Linwë about all of this. I think that I can trust her. She's the only person that I can think of that might believe me and not think that I have gone completely and utterly mad.  
  
Anyway, it's about time for lunch now, so I'd better get going. It might take me a while to find the dinner hall. Hopefully I don't get lost.  
  
-Rachel  
Pearson  
  
_a/n: I updated really quickly for me. Don't expect it to be this soon every time. I do have a life, though not much of one.  
  
I hope you enjoyed it. I liked writing it and I like the story.  
  
If you have any suggestions I would be glad to hear them!  
  
Review Responses:  
  
Lainfaer: I'm glad that you like it. I didn't want to use Legolas. That's been done too often already, and, I liked Gildor. Yes, we did meet him in this chapter. Are you happy? Thanx for reviewing!  
  
Anaclaime: I'm glad you like the names! They're mine, rayame's and emaliana's. And Amras is my brother. You can have Aragorn, but not in my story.  
  
Rayame: Yes, I re-posted it. I'm glad you like it more now. I do too! Can't wait to hear from you again!  
  
Thank you all for reading and reviewing! 


	3. The Banquet

Chapter 3: The Banquet  
  
Rachel put a ribbon after what she had written then put it under her mattress, hiding it in the same place where her diary on Earth is hidden.  
  
She then walked to the dining hall, finding that she was a bit early. She spotted Amras and walked over to him.  
  
"Hello!" she greeted.  
  
"Hello. How has your day been?"  
  
"It's been fine. I talked to Gildor this morning, but then he had to leave to fight the spiders."  
  
"Yes, I had to go then, too. It was interesting. Gildor received a small cut as did two of the guards, but those were the only injuries," Amras informed her.  
  
"I'm glad. It probably could have been a lot worse. So... you're friends with Legolas?"  
  
"Yes. How did you find that out? Did Linwë tell you?"  
  
"No. I met him today. I couldn't find my way back to my room because Gildor left so quickly, so I wandered around for a while. I made it to the archery fields I guess, and he saw me and showed me back. We made small talk on the way."  
  
"Oh. And, what do you think of him?"  
  
"He's nice! I don't know exactly what to make of him. He seems almost... perfect. It doesn't really make sense, I know."  
  
"You have not known him for as long as I have. If you had, you would know that he is far from perfect. He knows that well himself. He wishes he could be more like an elven woman sometimes because they never seem to get into as much trouble as he does," Amras laughed.  
  
Rachel giggled.  
  
"What are you two laughing about?" Linwë questioned, coming up behind her.  
  
"Oh, we were talking about Legolas," Rachel said.  
  
"You met him?"  
  
"Yes. He's nice."  
  
"He is very kind. He is also a troublemaker and a joker. When he was younger his father, King Thranduil, had the hardest time keeping him under control. He has grown up some."  
  
"Enough to know that he will not get into trouble if people do not know that it is him who is pulling the pranks," Amras added.  
  
"It seems like you know him pretty well."  
  
"Yes. We've been friends for hundreds of years. He is friendly to anyone that he meets. How was your meeting with Gildor?" Linwë asked.  
  
"Okay. He seemed concerned about me. But I didn't get the chance to talk to him for long. He was called away to help fight the spiders. So that's how I met Legolas."  
  
"Were you out fighting spiders also?" Linwë interrogated Amras, looking truly worried. "Did you get injured?"  
  
"Yes, I assisted them. No, I did not get injured. Only Gildor and two of the regular guards were hurt at all. And their injuries were minor."  
  
"I am glad."  
  
Soon after dinner was served. Rachel only drank one glass of wine. She decided she would like to be awake for the rest of the day.  
  
After lunch, Rachel asked Linwë to show her to a library that had books in Common.  
  
Linwë agreed. Amras also decided to join them, saying he could use some time to relax and since no one would suspect that he would be in a library, it was the perfect place to hide.  
  
Rachel found a few books that she thought that she might like. They were elven tales. She took some about the Dark Years when Sauron was in power before he was defeated by Isildur and one about Beren and Luthien. She decided that if she was going to be an elf for a while, she had better know the basic stories that most of them knew.  
  
Amras informed her that later that night that there would be a party in the dining hall. There would be singing, dancing, and storytelling.  
  
"Will you go?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. I suppose I will."  
  
"Good. You need to meet more elves," Linwë told her.  
  
"Until then, I will be in my room reading."  
  
"I shall help you get ready for the party. Everyone will dress their best," Linwë explained.  
  
"Alright. See you later!"  
  
"Good bye."

* * *

Rachel truly did spend the time until the banquet in her room reading. She could not put the books down. They, to her, were amazingly good. Even better than Tolkien's, which, up until now, had been her favorites.  
  
She couldn't wait to get to the banquet to listen to the stories that they told because if they were as good as the ones that she was reading, they would be captivating. She had always loved adventure stories that had a bit of a love story entwined in them.  
  
As she promised, Linwë knocked on Rachel's door about an hour before supper.  
  
"So... what are we going to do?"  
  
"We are going to ready to go to the banquet. We need to wear nice dresses and do our hair."  
  
_This sounds like a slumber party... let's do our hair and nails!  
_  
Linwë opened Rachel's closet. "I think that you should wear green. The dress that you have on now goes well with your eyes. And it should be sleeveless because it will get warm. It should also be long and flowing, but form fitting also. Try this one on."  
  
She handed Rachel a dress fitting what she had described. Rachel pulled it on with Linwë's help tying the back. It had a V-neck and spaghetti straps.  
  
"You look beautiful!" Linwë exclaimed.  
  
"Thank you. What are you going to wear?"  
  
Linwë picked out a purple sleeveless dress with a halter neck. The dress swept the floor. It clung to just the right spots, making Linwë look even more beautiful.  
  
"Now for your hair. You have yet to wear it up, so that is what we will do."  
  
Linwë pulled a brush threw Rachel's thick, straight, light brown hair. She then twisted sections of it back and pinned them in place until it was piled on top of her head. Rachel glanced in a looking glass and couldn't believe it.  
  
"I... I look good."  
  
"Yes, you do. I do not know what to do to mine though."  
  
"Would you mind if I tried something?" Rachel asked timidly.  
  
"Not at all. Try anything you wish."  
  
Rachel took the brush and thought for a minute. She came up with something that she thought would look all right and tried it. She pulled Linwë's hair into a ponytail then took little sections at a time, twisted them and pinned them in place around it. It took her a few tries to get it to look right since she had never done it to such long hair, but in the end, it looked beautiful.  
  
"I love it. Thank you very much!"  
  
"It's nothing. Should we go now?"  
  
Linwë glanced out the window at the sinking sun and decided that it would be about the right time so the two of them set out. When they arrived at the dining hall they sat down with Amras, Ireth, Itarildë and some of Linwë's other friends.  
  
"You both look lovely," Ireth complimented them.  
  
"Thanks," Rachel said, her face turning a slight red.  
  
"You do look nice," Amras commented. "Linwë, there is a seat for you here."  
  
Linwë took the seat next to Amras and Rachel sat down next to Itarildë.  
  
The meal was beyond comparison. The food was fresh and expertly cooked. There were delicacies for any taste.  
  
Once again, the elves slowly reverted to speaking Sindarin and Rachel could only catch snippets of their conversation. She didn't hear her name, and wasn't worried about them talking about her.  
  
"Are you enjoying yourself, Rachel?" Aragorn whispered in her ear as he passed her table.  
  
"Yes. The food is delicious."  
  
"And the company?"  
  
"It's okay. I'm leaning a little elvish, but not enough to join in."  
  
"You could sit with Legolas, Gimli, and I. We are speaking Common, because Gimli does not understand Elvish. What say you?"  
  
"That sounds good. Itarildë," she said, "I'm going to go with Aragorn."  
  
"Alright. Have a nice time."  
  
"I will."  
  
Rachel followed Aragorn to a table, not far away and had a seat next to Gimli.  
  
"We meet again, my lady," Legolas commented.  
  
"Yes, we do. It's good to see you again. Nice to meet you, Gimli."  
  
"And you also, my lady."  
  
"Just call me Rachel. I don't like being called 'my lady'."  
  
"If you insist," Legolas agreed.  
  
"I do."  
  
"So, why can't you speak elvish?" Gimli questioned. "Not that I mind. I'm glad that someone else here cannot speak the language."  
  
Rachel giggled. "I'm not from Mirkwood. I just arrived here a few days ago."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yup. Why haven't you learned it yet? You spend so much time with Legolas, I am surprised that he hasn't taught it to you yet."  
  
"I do not know Dwarfish either," Legolas informed her. "We have other things to do than teach languages if we both understand one well."  
  
"I suppose, but when he's here, I'm guessing that it gets kind of boring when you don't know the language. Doesn't it for you when you're at his home?"  
  
"Yes, but we do not spend enough time at either place for it to become a problem," Legolas told her.  
  
"Okay. I was just wondering."  
  
"It is fine to wonder. Would you like someone to teach you elvish? I am sure that Linwë would be honored to do so."  
  
"I don't know. I might ask her to sometime."  
  
"You should. It would make your stay much more enjoyable, I am sure."

* * *

a/n: Well... I don't have much to say. Um... this is really just leading up to later, but I am going to be sure that this is NOT going to be a Mary Sue.  
  
Rayame: Thank you! I liked the journal entry too. That way you get more of her thoughts. I might not continue to do them... I'm not sure. But, it will serve a purpose later on.  
  
Lothliana: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you like it!  
  
Lainfaer: Well, you waited. I'll try to update soon, but I'm not making any promises...  
  
Anaclaime: I will use Gildor throughout this story. Thanks for reviewing! You can have Aragorn, but Arwen still gets him in my story.  
  
WitchHunterRobinfan: I'm sorry, but this is going to be a Legomance... sort of. I don't know how to explain it. I'm really glad that you like it! Don't worry about reading too much manga. I do too! Secrets in the Darkness... I was wondering where you had gotten to.  
  
-Elerrina 


	4. Music

**Chapter 4: Music**

Rachel listened to the three friends talk, throwing out a comment every once in a while. She found every thing they said very interesting, although she didn't know many of the people that they were discussing. She stayed with them until everyone moved out to a different hall.

She then went back and walked with Linwë and her other friends.

"Where are we? I've never been here before, have I?" Rachel questioned.

"I do not believe that I showed you this place. It is the Music Hall. It is here that we hold our dances. On that stage is where the singers perform. Then in the back of the hall is where the story tellers sit," Linwë explained.

"Okay..." Rachel looked around and felt dwarfed by the many elves that surrounded her. She didn't know where to go or what to do. She finally decided to take a seat on one of the chairs arranged around the walls of the room.

Soon, once most of the elves were in the hall, the singing began. Rachel secluded herself while all of the other people started to sway or dance to the music. The voices were amazing. Once Rachel concentrated on the music, it didn't really matter that she couldn't understand the words. She could still tell what they were singing about. Beautiful pictures formed in her head of waterfalls and forests. Of lovely people and of their gods. After a bit it changed and they began singing songs of destruction and death. During those songs, the elves stood, unmoving. Rachel didn't want to picture those, so she turned her attention elsewhere, into her own mind. She sat and thought about all that had happened to her, and what she could do about it.

Soon again, the songs reverted to their old joyful melodies. Rachel, who had always enjoyed music, found herself tapping her foot along with the beat. She watched as the elves seemingly floated around the floor. She recognized Legolas who danced with quite a few maidens during the night, and also Gildor who seemed to linger closer to the wall. Amras danced only with Linwë. Their eyes were shining as they glided across the floor.

Rachel found herself wrapped in a blanket of voice and melody. She shut her eyes and concentrated on the images in her mind. She could understand that they were about love and cheerful things. The elves had a talent for painting pictures with their words and songs.

"My lady, would you care to dance?" Gildor asked politely, holding his hand out to her.

Rachel accepted, taking his hand slowly. She allowed him to pull her to her feet then lead her around the floor.

"They are singing about the beauty of the world when it was first created and the love that they have for nature. Soon the songs will begin to tell tales of heroes," Gildor described.

"The songs are beautiful. I've never heard anything like this before. I could stay here forever."

"As would many of us. Yet we realize that we must get on with our lives. It would be amazing if we could remain in peaceful times so that we may have banquets like this more often."

He led her back to her seat as the song came to an end, then left her to her own thoughts.

She was beginning to fall asleep when another offer came to her to dance. This time it was Legolas.

"I do not believe that we have gotten to know each other well. Most of the elves here have been here for quite a long while so I know them. Would you care to dance, Rachel?"

"I'd be honored," she replied, trying to be polite to the prince.

Prince Legolas swept her around the dance floor with ease. It was easy for her to dance with him. He didn't move too fast, or do any complicated moves that she didn't know how to do. Yet while she had been sitting it seemed like he was one of the best dancers in the hall.

"What is your family like?" he asked.

"Well... they're nice. I have a little brother, who gets on my nerves sometimes, but I think most siblings do at one time or another. My dad is kind of strict. He doesn't let me do a lot of things. My mom has quite the temper if you catch her on a bad day."

Legolas questioned her about her home and life where she was from. Rachel answered as best she could without giving too much away. She wasn't sure if she could trust him yet. She wanted to tell Linwë but that would have to wait until tomorrow, she supposed.

After she danced with Legolas she left the hall and headed toward her room. She undid her hair and let it fall. She then put on a nightdress that Linwë had provided her. She hung up the dress that she had worn, then fell into bed, falling asleep the moment she closed her eyes.

* * *

That night Rachel dreamt of dancing on the clouds with her boyfriend, Kyle, during the sunset. When she looked down at herself though, she realized that she wasn't Rachel. She was someone else that she didn't recognize.

* * *

Rachel woke the next morning to the sound of people moving around outside her door. She dragged herself out of bed, washed, dressed, then walked out into the hall.

Linwë was in that hall so Rachel went over to her.

"What's going on?"

"There was a spider attack last night," Linwë explained quickly. "The strange thing is that the orcs attacked also, and the spiders did not attack them."

"Is everyone alright?"

"No. That is why we are all here. There were only five survivors out of the twenty that were defending us. Amras, Gildor, Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli. The other fifteen were slaughtered. The five that lived are all wounded badly. The healer's are working in their rooms which are down this hall."

"Will they be alright?" Rachel questioned. "Why did only those five survive?"

"We know not if they will survive. I suppose that those five survived because they had the most experience fighting. The others were being trained and it was their first night on the guard. That is why there were twenty when they attacked."

* * *

Emiliana: It's okay that it took so long. I know you were at camp. I'm glad you liked it.

Anaclaime: Sorry that it took me so long to update. Hope you liked it.

Rayame: It's okay that it took you longer than normal to review. I'm glad that my story isn't as boring as the fair. Congrats on the blues.

WHR and Wolf's Rain fan: A Witch Hunter Robin and Wolf's Rain fan obviously. I haven't seen Wolf's Rain, but Witch Hunter Robin is great! I didn't go gaga over Legolas in the movie. I liked him in the books better. He's just quiet and observant. Also, Boromir dies, Aragorn, Sam, Merry, and Pippin get married I believe, Frodo and Gandalf leave and Gimli is a dwarf. I am making a story about a Gimli romance. In the books and movies though, Legolas is quiet and observant. He doesn't say much but he plays a major part. Thanks for the review! Oh, by the way, I don't think that there will be much blood or violence. This is more drama then that.

Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! I'll try to update sooner but I'm going to be gone next week on vacation.

-Elerrina


	5. Lessons

**Chapter 5: Lessons**

**  
**_Dear Diary,_

_These last few days have been hectic. After I heard about the attack by the spiders and orcs I decided that I needed to do something to help. All five of the survivors were my friends. When Linwë left I went to the room where they were being healed. I asked the guard outside the door if there was anything that I could do to help. He let me in and I asked one of the healers. He told me to fetch as much hot water as I could._

_I ran to the kitchens and told the cooks what I needed. As soon as they heard what it was for they hurried to comply._

_All that day I ran errands for the healers whether it was fetching water or clean bandages, medicinal herbs to carrying messages._

_Slowly it seemed to me that the five were improving._

_That morning I was finally released from my duties. I believe it was because I looked dead. I was really tired. I had been running through the seemingly endless corridors all night._

_When I woke up it was around noon. I gobbled down some lunch then went back to the healers' room._

_The healers told me that I was no longer needed. They said that the injured were on the road to recovery. All they needed was rest._

"_Thank you for your help," they said. "It helped a lot."_

_I went back to my room then and started reading. Linwë stopped by later that afternoon._

_I worked up my courage and told her my story about how I ended up here. She didn't believe me at first, but soon, after I explained my watch to her, which I had completely forgotten about._

_Then I told her the good news about Amras._

"You should tell Thranduil about this. When are you planning on meeting with him?"

"I have not heard from anyone about it for a long time. Anyway, I want to keep this secret for as long as possible. Please don't tell anyone. I just needed to be able to talk about it with someone."

"I swear that I will not tell a soul."

"Do you have any idea how I could get back? I miss my family and friends."

"I'm not the best elf to help you with that. Maybe you should tell Amras or Gildor, or even Legolas." At Rachel's surprised face she replied, "I saw you two dancing and talking together. You seem to be spending a lot of time together."

"We danced, but he danced with almost every other girl there too. And I've only really talked to him with Aragorn."

"Well I think that he would be able to help you more than I will. You can trust him."

"It's not that I don't trust him. It's more that I don't know him as well as I know you. But I will take one of his suggestion."

"What was his suggestion?" Linwë questioned.

"Would you teach me elvish?"

Linwë started at the question. "I would be honored, Rachel. Why do you ask me this now?"

"Well... I don't know. I really wish to learn elvish. At the dance everything was so beautiful but I couldn't understand it. I want to be able to hear what everyone has to say, not just those who speak Common," Rachel answered.

"Why do we not start now? I have nothing to do at the moment, do you?"

"No."

The two sat down in the two chairs that were positioned across from Rachel's bed and began the lessons.

a/n: I know that this is short but I have started concentrating on a different story. I will continue to write on this story and update hopefully as often as before, but I think that the chapters will probably become shorter. I apologize for this but I have writer's block on how to get to the next point in my story.

Emiliana: Thank you Hecilien. I will try to update sooner.

Faerlain: Yes, I hurt Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Gildor, and Amras, but I didn't kill any of them. Thanks! I hope you're having fun (or had fun) in Sussex.

Crecy: I couldn't think of anything else that would be tragic and I wanted some people to get hurt badly... Thanks for reviewing!

Rayame: Yes, she has... or had a boyfriend. That will come into play later on... or will it. Thanks for the info on Inuyasha... I taped it but I didn't get all of it. I'll need to borrow your tape, if you'll let me. It sounded so interesting. I saw the part where Shippo finds a note and he says something about being brave... lolx. Well... thanks for reviewing like usual. See you tonight...

Thank you all! I hope to review within thirty days at the latest. If I don't... I don't know... yell at me.


	6. Visits and Dreams

**Chapter 6: Visits and Dreams**

By Elerrina

Linwë and Rachel spent the next few hours in her room. Rachel then decided that she would need some paper so that she would be able to study when Linwë wasn't there. Linwë agreed and left to find some parchment.

For the next few days Linwë and Rachel spend a lot of time in Rachel's room and in the library. Rachel caught on quickly; she had always loved foreign languages, but since Sindarin did not resemble English in any way it was difficult for Rachel to learn.

About a week later Rachel was out exploring the gardens when someone called her name. She spun around and much to her surprise she found that it was Legolas who had called.

"Heru en amin." (My lord)

"Why do you call me my lord now when you insisted on calling me Legolas before?" he questioned.

"I guess I just decided to reply in elvish."

"I am glad that you took my advice. How much elvish has Linwë taught you?"

"A little. I have only been studying for a week. Only since the day after you were attacked. How are you feeling?"

"A lot better. The healers told us what you did. We are all very appreciative. Diole lle, Rachel. No one was sure if we would all live. I thank the Valar that we did." (Thank you)

"Is everyone out of the healing ward now? Or is it just you?" Rachel asked.

"Gildor and Aragorn are still there. Gimli and Amras are also out. Amras is speaking with Linwë now. Arwen is worried sick about Aragorn. She has not left his side since he has been injured."

"I can understand her concern. Her husband, the king, almost died. You five were very lucky. I feel sorry for the other fifteen and their friends and family. Will you bury them?" Rachel asked, wondering about elvish customs.

"They have already been buried. I heard that they were buried three days ago. They waited for as long as they could, they wanted the five of us to be there, but the bodies started to decay."

"Amin hiraetha. I am sure that you would have liked to have been there."

"It may be better that we were not there. We were not able to save them. For that, we will be eternally sorry. Do you know what it is like to watch someone die?"

Rachel was silent for a moment. "Yes, Legolas, I do. I had to sit by and watch one of my best friends die. The doc—healers couldn't do anything more to save her. I felt like I should be doing... something, to help her, but I couldn't. I was so helpless. I felt like she was right on the other side of a glass wall. We were so close. I could see her but I couldn't reach her."

"Amin hiraetha, Rachel. I did not mean to bring up memories of yours," Legolas apologized as he noticed the tears gathering in Rachel's eyes.

"It's alright. It's just... I haven't talked about it with anyone. It feels good to talk, but... it's hard."

"I understand. I know exactly how you felt. I felt powerless to help them but knew that I had to try."

"It wasn't your fault. You do realize that, don't you?" Rachel inquired. "You did everything that you could."

"I do realize that, yet I feel like I should have been able to do something more. I have not yet visited their graves. I think that I will do that now. Thank you again."

"Lle creoso. Namarie." (You're welcome. Goodbye.)

"Namarie." (Goodbye.)

Legolas headed back the way that he had come while Rachel carried on her way. With Legolas's news she had decided to go visit Gildor and Aragorn.

* * *

"My lady, it is nice of you to return. You may enter," the guard that was standing outside of the healing ward greeted her.

"Diole lle." The guard opened the door to admit her and Rachel walked in. It looked so much different from the last time she had been in that room. The healers must have removed the beds of the three who had been released. Now the remaining beds were positioned on either side of the large room. It had seemed so much smaller before since it had five beds in it before and there had also been more people crowding the room, taking care of the wounded. Now there was only the two patients and Arwen. When Rachel walked in everyone turned to look at her.

"Um... 'Quel andune," Rachel greeted, remembering some of her elvish. "I just came to talk with Gildor and Aragorn." (Good afternoon.)

"You must be Rachel," Arwen deduced.

"Yes. I am. And you are Arwen? It's nice to meet you."

"And you. Would you like me to leave?"

"No. You're fine. I understand that you must be worried. I would be too." Rachel grabbed one of the spare chairs that were pushed up against the wall and dragged it over to Gildor's bed.

"Vedui' Rachel. Is Linwë teaching you Sindarin?" (Greetings)

"Yes, she is. I don't remember much other than greetings and things but I'm learning. Linwë is a good teacher. I'm glad that she agreed to this," Rachel answered.

"It will make your stay more enjoyable, I believe. Why did you come?"

"I thought, you know, since you saved me, I might as well come talk to you. I didn't have anything else to do today. You don't mind, do you? I mean, if you would rather rest, I'll leave."

"No, Rachel. I only wanted to know why you came by. I do not know you well. I have only spoken to you a few times. Do you not have something better that you could be doing?"

"No, not really. Linwë is talking to Amras, I believe and seeing as how I don't know many people well other than Linwë and Amras. Next in line are you, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. I already spoke with Legolas. I have no idea where Gimli is. So, that leaves you and Aragorn, who are both conveniently in the same room for the time being."

"You are here to take up time then?" Aragorn asked.

"Well... in a way... yes... but no... Well... Oh, never mind. I came here to talk to you because you are my friends and I am worried about you. Can I do that without you giving me the third degree?" Rachel complained.

"The third degree? What is that, Rachel?" Gildor questioned.

"It's something that we say where I came from. You say it when someone asks you a lot of questions. Don't worry about it."

"Was there something specific that you came to say? Or did you only wish to talk?" Aragorn wondered.

"I just wanted to talk... is that okay?"

"Yes, of course. I believe that I am going to my room. I have gotten little sleep since I arrived here and the rest I did get on my journey here was uneasy. I will speak to you later," Arwen told everyone before gracefully getting to her feet and seemingly gliding out of the room.

"She's beautiful. You're lucky, Aragorn," Rachel commented.

"Yes, I truly am lucky. Every day I awaken and realize that she will be next to me. It is a blessing that I thank the Valar for every morning. Are you also lucky enough to have someone to love?"

"Well... kind of. I'm dating someone. His name is Kyle."

"You and this, Kyle, are... dating?"

"Oh, um... dating is another term we use where I'm from. I suppose it would be like... courting, here. I don't know if we're really in love, per say, but we are... were, pretty close."

"You court at your home without loving?" Gildor speculated. "Why do you do that? Why do you not wait until you find the one person whom you love and court only them?"

"Well... where I'm from love is... a relative term. I don't know if anyone is ever sure if they're in love or not. How would you explain love? How do you know if you are in love or not?"

"Love... Love is... well it is... it is very difficult to explain," Gildor told her.

"What about you, Aragorn. How do you know that you and Arwen are really in love?"

"I am not sure that I could describe it if I tried, Rachel. It is easy to tell when you do fall in love with someone, but it is very difficult do describe to someone who has not experienced it before."

"Well... if it's a distinct feeling then I guess I'm either really dense and don't realize that I'm in love, or not in love with him. Nothing has hit me like that... I always thought more of love as growing on you. You don't know it right away..."

"When I first laid eyes on Arwen, I knew that I loved her. I had seen other elves in my lifetime, I lived in Rivendell for most of my childhood, but somehow... she was different. She was more beautiful than any I had ever seen. It was not only her beauty that I was drawn to. It was her eyes, her wisdom, and her personality. Now that I know her, I could not live without her, and when I did not know her, there seemed to be something missing in my life that it was impossible to place, but when I met her, that gap seemed to fill, all at once. It was almost overwhelming."

"That was the same way I felt when I met Faerlain. It was the most amazing feeling..." he trailed off.

"Well, I sure haven't felt that way yet."

"You are missing out on something then. Legolas too. I cannot believe that he has not found anyone yet. There are many maidens that would be pleased to court him, but he has no interest in them. I do not think that he will meet anyone for him before he sails across the sea," Aragorn said.

"You mean Prince Legolas isn't in love with anyone?"

"That is correct. I feel sorry for both of you," Aragorn said.

"Well, thank you... I think..."

The three of them spoke for another half an hour or so until both Aragorn and Gildor decided that they needed to sleep. Rachel didn't want to delay their healing so she left them in peace.

* * *

For the next week or so Rachel studied Sindarin with Linwë, visited Gildor and Aragorn in the healing ward, and explored Mirkwood. She took up the habit of watching the men practice their archery and fencing. They were amazingly good at it. She felt the urge to ask if they would teach her, but she decided against it, reasoning that they would think that she was only a silly woman. She had always wanted to learn archery but her parents had discouraged her. They would never allow her to take lessons even if she offered to pay for it with her own money that she earned at the local grocery store.

She wrote in her diary every night, but the pages were only half full when she finished. She wished that she had more to write about. She had aspired to become a writer and decided to start by recording everything that she did here, but she was never one for very much description. She tried to work on it, but it always ended up sounding wrong and drawn out. She hoped that it would get better with time, so she continued to work at it.

Every few days she would meet up with Amras, Legolas, or Gimli and speak with them for a few minutes, but never anything extensive. She still felt that she was out of place even though she was able to understand bits and pieces of their conversations. Legolas and Amras spoke to her in elvish but only short, easy phrases. She was improving... slowly.

* * *

Linwë knocked on Rachel's door soon after the sun rose. Rachel was getting used to the early hours. She would rise and sleep with the sun following the same routine of the elves.

"Would you mind if we skipped lessons today?" Rachel asked. "I'm feeling really tired for some reason. I guess I didn't get that good of a night's sleep or something."

Rachel didn't tell Linwë the reason she hadn't slept well though. It was because she had had another dream. This time, she was in her room, lying on her bed, writing in a notebook when her dad walked in. He completely ignored her, just walked around, looking appraisingly at the different items in her room. She yelled and screamed, tried anything and everything to get his attention. She could feel him, her hand didn't pass through him as she touched his shoulder, but he seemed not to feel anything.

She had followed him out of her room and found her mother sitting on the sofa, her head in her hands.

"Are you sure that you want this?" her mom asked.

"Yes. Why? Aren't you?" he had replied.

"I suppose. This is for the best, I think..." It was then that she woke up. She tried and tried to think of what they could mean, but nothing came to mind. She hadn't been able to sleep for the rest of the night.

* * *

a/n: So, how did you like it? I actually enjoyed reading this. I'm getting into the groove again. I keep getting ideas. I'm hoping to update every two weeks now. The chapters should stay about this length; at least, I hope they will. Just so you know, Faerlain, Gildor's wife, is the name of an author on here. She's an amazing author! You should read her stories! Well, that's all that I can think of for now, so on with the review responses!

Heather Martin: I'm glad you like my stories! I love getting reviews! I will keep writing on this!

Faerlain: Sounds like fun! Well... except for spending all of your money... yea... it was kind of needed... in a way.

Emiliana Keladry: I'd be homesick too. Thanks for reviewing!

Rayame: Yep, she's told... me? If that makes any sense. I'm glad that you like the diary parts. It lets me explain things without going into a lot of detail. Thank you!


	7. A Different Kind of Lesson

**Help Me Get Back**

By Elerrina

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord of the Rings. It all belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien, the master of fantasy writing, at least in my mind. **

**Chapter 7: A Different Kind of Lesson**

Rachel stayed in her room until lunch. She skipped breakfast—she just wasn't very hungry. She hoped she'd be able to sleep that night, but she wasn't too sure. At noon she left to the dining hall and ate lunch with her friends; Linwë, Legolas, Amras, and Itarildë. The others were dining somewhere else, Rachel didn't understand where. Her four friends were speaking in elvish, trying to get her accustomed to hearing it spoken as it normally would be.

"I will be out at the archery courts. I have not had much practice since the attack," Legolas informed everyone. "This way, no one will be there to see me do horribly."

"Have you ever been bad at archery, Legolas?" Rachel asked, disbelievingly.

"When I was very little, I was not at all good. I practiced a lot to improve."

"He improved very quickly, though," Amras said. "I remember very well. I was training to become a soldier when he came out to practice for the first time. No one told him how to do it yet soon he was firing off arrows as well as most of the trainees. He is a natural."

Legolas turned a light pink. "I'm sure you did also," he said modestly.

"Would you... would you teach me archery?" Rachel questioned quietly. "I'd really like to try..."

"Of course. I would recommend changing clothes. I have never tried but I am almost certain that it would be difficult to do archery in a dress, do you not think so, Linwë?"

"Yes, I do believe that it would be," Linwë laughed.

"I will wait for you outside of your room while you change. Come."

Legolas led the way to her room, telling her about the fundamentals of archery. It had never seemed as complicated as it actually was...

* * *

"We will start at the easiest target," Legolas informed her. Leading her to the far side of the court.

"That's probably for the best. I won't be any good at this."

"We will see that once you start," Legolas said. "Now, here's a bow and an arrow," he pulled an arrow out of the quiver on his back. He handed Rachel the bow and before handing her the arrow he adjusted her grip. "Always hold it there," he instructed, "or you will not be able to aim correctly and you will not hit your target."

"Alright..." Rachel fitted the arrow to the bow, remembering how she'd seen others do it.

"You did that correctly. Draw the string back to your cheek, aim down you hand, and release..."

Rachel did what Legolas told her and still the arrow only made it a few feet away from her.

Legolas laughed, a very melodic sound, which made it impossible for Rachel to contain her own laughter. She smiled.

"See, I knew I wouldn't be very good at this."

"You did fine. Was that your first time shooting an arrow?"

"Yes."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of then. Now, you must remember to keep your arm raised and keep your elbow up. If you do that you have a much better chance of firing farther."

Rachel tried again, and again, and again, she advanced slowly, but didn't succeed in hitting the target.

When she strung the bow again and aimed Legolas took a hold of her arms and held them up at the right angles. "Now try," he told her.

She aimed and let the arrow fly and hit the outside ring on the target.

"Now you know what it feels like. Keep your arms like that. Aim a bit higher."

Their lesson continued until supper. Rachel hit the bull's-eye twice and missed the target completely a few times too, but most of the time she hit the second or third ring on the target. When the bell rang they collected all of the arrows and headed back inside.

"I'm sorry. You wanted to practice archery and you didn't get to."

"No, it is alright. I wanted to remember how to do it and teaching you helped me with that. I am sure that I will have plenty of time to practice some other time. I would be honored if you would join me once in a while. You seem to enjoy archery. And you improve fairly quickly."

"Maybe I will. It depends on my lessons with Linwë. I would really like to become fluent in elvish. That I think will be my top priority. At least for a while."

"That is fine, but if you do not practice with me you should practice by yourself. Archery is not something that you are as good at after you take a break. It takes muscle memory. If you want to become better you need to keep practicing."

"I will. I'll promise you that. I really do like archery. I'd like to get better at it. I would also like to be able to fight. If I'm going to stay here and there are spiders around, I might go out into the forest and I want to be able to protect myself."

"Whenever you wish to learn something. Ask. I will be happy to teach you as long as I am not busy."

Rachel returned to her room to chance back into her dress while Legolas made his way to the dining hall to his place at the head of the room with his father. It was the first time since the attack that he had been seated there. He was planning on making a speech about the attack.

* * *

**a/n: Well, I am so very sorry that this is such a short chapter. I was kicked off of the computer for a few weeks and now I have school and work, and play practice and a ton of homework and I have very little time to write... But, I did post. And I plan on posting again very soon to make up for all the time that I have lost. Okay... on with the review responses:**

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**Emiliana Keladry: You are very hyper. Are you sad now? Rachel... well, I'm not going to say if she'll be okay or not... Thanks much for the review!**

**Heather Martin: I'm glad you got your own name. Sorry that it took me so long to post... my reasons are above... Don't put yourself down about your writing. I never think my writing is that good but other people think it is. I always think every chapter I write is horrible. But I am glad that you like reading! Otherwise, I'd have one less loyal reviewer! Thanks for sticking with this, even though it took so long.**

**Faerlain: Yes, YOUYOUYOUYOUYOU! Strawberry jam is very yummy, but I haven't had any in a long time... You don't have to worry about getting many flames anymore. That's always good. Yes, I did recommend you. You are a very good author, why wouldn't I recommend you? Thanks. Talk to you later... or sooner hopefully...**

**Rayame: I'm glad you're wondering about her family. I meant it to be that way. It's supposed to get your mind wondering like it's getting Rachel's mind going. What do you think is going on? Nope, she won't meet Gandalf. He's already left to the Grey Havens because this is set after LotR. Thanks for the review!**

**Ilenya the fair: You like changing your name, don't you? I'll try to update more regularly. Maybe you write crap, maybe you don't. But if you don't want me to read your stories I won't. Thanks for reviewing!**

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**Thanks all! As long as I don't get kicked off again anytime soon you should have another chapter by... lets see, next Sunday at the latest? I hope that's all right. With school and birthdays and stuff... October if full of stuff. I hate it! Well... until next week!**


	8. The Question

**Help Me Get Back**

**Chapter 8: The Question**

**By Elerrina**

Rachel and her friends made a point to sit near the front of the room so that they would have a good seat for Legolas's speech. The supper was exceptional; it wasn't as great as the meals at the banquets were and it was better than most of the regular meals that they served for lunch. Once most of the elves had finished eating Legolas stood up to speak to everyone.

"My friends, my family," he added, glancing back at his mother, father, and younger sister, "I feel that I must make this speech explaining to you what happened the night two weeks ago when fifteen of my comrades died. Five of us were lucky enough to survive; Aragorn, Gimli, Amras, Gildor and I.

"That night, we were out patrolling. The five that I mentioned were training the newer recruits. It was their first time out on patrol without being paired up with more experience. Near morning spiders attacked. We were outnumbered about three to one. The five of us tried our best to help the others but we could not make our way to them in time. If only they had had a few more weeks of practice...

"Unfortunately they did not and we cannot dwell on that now... If we could have a moment of silence to honor Lolindir, Lenwe, Mablung, Celebrimbor, Valandil, Finrod, Huor, Orodreth, Feanaro, Maeglin, Findecano, Golrandir, Aerandir, Turgon, and Feanor..."

Everyone in the dining hall bowed their heads and thought a silent prayer to Mandos to take care of their souls.

"Thank you. You may continue eating now." Legolas sat back down, his face as unreadable as all of the others.

Dinner was very quiet that night. No one spoke much in respect for the dead.

Rachel glanced up at Legolas once and caught him staring at her. He granted her a slight smile then returned to speaking with his father.

Over the next few weeks Rachel continued her elvish lessons, working on her archery whenever Legolas had time. She learned so much about the prince during her lessons.

* * *

_He is so dedicated to his position. It's almost like he is Mirkwood's father and the people here his children. He tells me his problems while we're out there all alone. He worries about Thranduil. He knows that his father longs to be free and wishes to see his wife and the endless sea. The king has spoken to him of marriage but Legolas isn't sure about anything yet. I feel so sorry for him. He has so many responsibilities that no one else does. It is almost as though the weight of the world is resting on his shoulders. Every day he seems to droop a little more under the pressure he receives from everyone else. _

_He has brought up the subject of me visiting his father only once and has said nothing of the subject after I declined. We have spoken of the leaving of Middle Earth. He seems... disquieted by the subject so I do not mention it often. I believe that he wishes to be here for his friends. The elves leaving, I heard Aragorn say once, would mean the loss of the wisest, most beautiful beings. A light would be gone from the world that could never return. _

_I believe that that is Legolas now; it is time for my lesson. ... I guess I won't be having my lesson today. He has been called to his father's study to discuss something. I believe that I'll go to the gardens now, they're so calming..._

* * *

Legolas knocked tentatively on his father's door wondering, as always, why he had been called.

"My son, you need not knock every time you come. I am able to hear you," Thranduil informed Legolas as he swung open the door to admit him.

"It is proper to knock. I would hate to barge in on an important conversation."

"Yes, I suppose... We have spoken of this before, but the time is becoming more pressing. Have you thought any more about marriage?" the King questioned.

"Well, in a way. I do not know if I am ready and I have not found anyone. Father, why do you wish to discuss this with me now?"

"Legolas, the sea calls for me. It is stronger than it has ever been. Mirkwood needs a king. It needs you, my son. A king does not have time to court. I wish for you to be happy and it seems to me that you are not. I believe that you wish to be married."

"Adar, Naneth... told me before she left that... that she wished that I marry my love. I think that I may have found her. She is not what you would expect, Father. I wish for your approval. How long do I have to decide?"

"I leave in three months. I have made the arrangements with Cirdan. It is the latest that I will be able to leave before the snow starts to fall. If you have not chosen in two months I have met a princess that I believe will do quite nicely with you."

"Father, I—"

"I am not saying that you must marry her, only give her a chance. Go back to what you were doing before you came here. Keep what I said in mind though. I do not have much time."

Legolas turned and walked sullenly out of the room.

I must do this now. I know whom I wish to ask; yet I am not sure that she will accept it. I do not have time to, beat around the bush, as they say, Legolas thought.

* * *

Rachel was sitting on a bench in one of the gardens when Legolas found her.

"Rachel, would you come for a walk with me?" Legolas asked seriously. "I have something important that I must ask you."

"Alright, I guess," she replied nervously. I don't belong here, don't ask me. I don't want to have to tell you, she thought, guessing his motive.

Legolas led her outside a little way into the forest to a clearing.

It was a beautiful day in spring, the leaves were a brilliant shade of green, the flowers were in full bloom, everything was perfect, that is, it would have been perfect had she not known what was about to happen. She had no idea how she knew, but she did. This was what she had been dreading for a long time. Ever since she first met Legolas she had felt drawn to him, not knowing why, but now she did, but she would not accept the fact. She wouldn't even allow herself to think it.

Legolas came to a stop in the middle of the clearing, and knelt. Rachel dropped to her knees next to him and waited for him to start.

"I know that we have not known each other for even a year, but I think I know enough about you to ask you this."

"No," she muttered, so quietly that Legolas didn't hear her. Not now, I'm not ready to tell him yet.

"Will you be my betrothed?" he popped the question.

"You don't know me. You don't know where I came from, you don't know my parents. You don't know what I did before I came here," she tried to put it off.

"I love you, Rachel. I would love you if you if you were naught but one hundred years of age and a thief," he told her.

Rachel felt tears running down her cheeks. She didn't want to tell him. She wanted to just agree and never tell him any of it, but she knew that it wouldn't be fair to Legolas if she did that.

"What if I was only seventeen years of age and as good as a liar?" she asked.

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A/n: It's been a little over a month since I updated. I've been having major computer troubles plus I've been extremely busy. First my computer refused to access the Internet so when my dad fixed it, he began deleting things, and deleted the sound file. While trying to get it back he accidentally made the screen tiny! He finally got it back to normal. I have work, school, tons of homework, and the play, but the play is over now! I have part of the next part written, actually, a lot of it.

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Emiliana: I feel sorry for Rachel too. Especially now, after what just happened... Thanks for reviewing!

Faerlain: October is easily my busiest month. Too much to do. It'll be the same thing once tennis starts in the spring. Then I have the play, tennis, work, and school. The chapter is kind of short again, but hopefully the next one will be longer. Thanx for the review!

Rayame: Hi! Yep. She's doing archery. I wish I was doing that, but now, we'll have 30 days longer to do some things in that class. Darn. Review again please!

Heather: I'd love to learn elvish too! I use a few phrases in my stories but I have to look most of them up. I know the one word things like Naneth (mother) and Adar (father). I know Amin Hireatha (I'm sorry) and a few others that I can't think of right now. Thanks for the review!

Ilenya: Thanks for reviewing! I wish I could do archery! We'll learn it in P.E. sometime... Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

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So, what did you think? Was this expected? Hope not. I hate for my writing to be predictable. 


	9. Answers

Chapter 9: Answers 

By Elerrina

Legolas stood planted, unable to move. Rachel, taking his unresponsiveness to mean that he no longer loved her, ran blindly back to her room.

A liar? Seventeen? How can this be? She acts and looks at least two thousand four hundred. In mortal years she would be about seventeen, but she is an elf, he pondered.

Why? Why did this happen to me? I should have listened to Linwë and told him right away.

When Legolas finally realized what had happened, he immediately felt horrible. The truth was, he wasn't mad at her, he was only shocked and a little hurt that she hadn't told him right away.

The next day Linwë learned from Faerlain that Rachel had locked herself in her room and refused to come out.

She went to her friend's room and knocked on the door.

"Please, Rachel, come out," she begged.

Rachel didn't answer. Faerlain had forgotten to tell her that Rachel wasn't talking either.

Linwë went in search of Amras after trying for several minutes to get Rachel to speak without success, knowing that Legolas would tell him what had happened.

"What's wrong, Linwë?" Amras asked, noticing the worried look on her fair elven face.

"I am not sure what has happened. Rachel is in her room. She will not talk and she will not come out."

"Do you think that it has something to do with Legolas?" he asked.

"Yes. I have not seen him yet and he is usually the first one out to greet us."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Talk to him. Find out what happened. Get a key to Rachel's room from Thranduil," she suggested.

"I will try, but I cannot promise you anything, if Rachel does not want to talk about it, what are the chances that Legolas does?"

"I believe that he may wish to speak. Just try. If it does not work… well, then we will have to think of something else." Please let it work, she prayed to the Valar. I do not know what else we can do.

Amras took leave of his friend to find Legolas. He asked around the palace, but no one had seen him since the morning of the day before.

He searched rooms, courtyards, everywhere he could think of. Just when he was turning back, about to give up, a voice from above him called, "What are you looking for, my friend?"

Legolas jumped gracefully down from the tree that he had been sitting in.

"You. Linwë sent me to find you."

"Why is that?" Legolas asked.

"She wishes to know if something happened between you and Rachel."

"Why does she not just ask Rachel then? It would have been much easier for you."

"Because Rachel refuses to talk or come out of her rooms. Why is that, my friend?" Amras interrogated.

"Yes, something happened between the two of us," Legolas answered sullenly. "But I will say no more than that."

"Do you not care about Rachel? She has eaten no food, save what she might have in her room since yesterday morning. She could starve herself to death."

"Of course I care about her, Amras! I care for her so much that I asked for her hand in marriage."

"You… proposed?" Amras said slowly.

"Yes, and she… and she…"

"She what? She turned you down? Maybe she needs more time."

"She did not answer me, that is the problem! If she would have said anything other than what she said, I would be happy!"

"What did she say, Legolas?" Amras pried.

"She said that she was a liar and that she is only seventeen years of age. What do you say to that, Amras? What?"

"I think that I had better go talk to Linwë. She knows Rachel better than I. Maybe she will know what Rachel was talking about."

"Please tell me anything you learn. I cannot think of it anymore. Shall I see if Rachel will talk to me?"

"It is worth a try. You could get the key from your father."

"Of course. I shall go there now. Thank you, Amras. I did not know of what she was doing."

"Rachel, it is me, Legolas. Let me in!"

Nothing.

"I command you, let me in!"

Not a word.

"Then you leave me no choice," Legolas fitted the key that he had gotten from his father into the lock, and turned it. The lock clicked and he pushed the door open.

"Rachel, where are you?"

There was silence.

He made his way to her bedroom and found her lying on her bed, eyes open.

"Rachel, what is wrong?" Legolas asked. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

She turned her head and glared at him. It conveyed the same message as if she had shouted, "What do you think?!"

"Please speak. Tell me why you are mad at me. Explain why you are a liar and how you are only seventeen," he begged.

"I never said that I was a liar!" she exclaimed. "Get out of my room!"

"Not until you explain."

She got off of her bed and pushed him out of the door. "Figure it out for yourself!" she yelled, and slammed the door in his face.

She locked the door, but knew that he could get in anyway so she sat down and leaned her back against it.

Legolas slumped down against Rachel's door.

This doesn't make sense. She said yesterday that she lied, but today she said she never said that… he wondered

"_What if I was only seventeen years old and as good as a liar?"_ her words echoed in his head. She is as good as a liar? What did she mean by that?

Slowly he got up and walked to Linwë's room.

"How did it go?" Amras asked, opening the door after Legolas had knocked.

"Not well. She talked to me, but she did not explain anything. She only confused me even more."

"What did she say?" Linwë asked, coming into the room carrying three drinks.

"She said that she never told me that she was a liar and she told me to get out of her room," he told them.

"Has she ever lied to you? Has she ever told you how old she is, where she is from, or who her parents are?" Linwë questioned, knowing exactly what her friend was talking about.

"Now that I think of it, no, she has not. I guess I do not know her as well as I thought that I did."

"Do not worry, as far as I know, I am the only one who knows those things. Give me the key," she instructed. "I will talk to her."

Legolas did as he was told and handed over the key.

Linwë took her leave of the men, knowing that they would talk, and went to comfort her friend.

Knock, knock.

"You have the key, who not use it?" Rachel called from inside.

"It is good that you are talking now, but I think you need a little work on guessing who is at the door."

"I am sorry, Linwë. I thought that it was Legolas and I don't really want to talk to him right now."

"Do you mind letting me in so I do not have to stand out here and talk to your door? I think that the people passing by are starting to think that I have gone crazy."

"Oh, sorry, but, if I am not mistaken, you do have the key. You would have had just enough time for Legolas to have talked to you, telling you what happened and get down here to talk to me."

"You are right. I do have the key, but I would rather you open the door and let me in yourself so I am not invading your privacy."

"Fine." Rachel stood up and opened the door admitting Linwë.

"Thank you. Would you mind telling me what has happened, since I left the last time? Legolas told Amras, but Amras has not told me much, only that something had happened between you two."

"Yes, something happened. He proposed."

"And you turned him down?" she assumed.

"Kind of, but not really," she told her friend.

"What did you tell him?"

"That I was as good as a liar and seventeen years old. That he knew almost nothing of my past."

"Why did you not tell him at once, like I advised you a year ago? Things would have gone much better."

"I know now that I should have, but I cannot change the past now. Seriously, I don't know what to do, Linwë. He probably hates me now," she said dejectedly.

"I doubt that he hates you. If he proposed, then he obviously loves you, and elves do not lightly throw love aside."

"I asked him if he would still love me if I was as good as a liar and seventeen, and he didn't say anything." Rachel started to cry. "I wanted to say yes, just forget about my past and live with him forever, but I knew that it wouldn't be fair to him to do that."

"You must speak to him. Tell him your past; explain everything to him. He will at the least, forgive you."

"No, he won't. I know it. He hates me now!"

"If you do not tell him, then I will. He is my friend too and he deserves to know."

"No! You promised me a year ago that you wouldn't tell anyone, even Amras. Please, you can tell Amras, but don't tell Legolas," she pleaded.

"Alright, you have my word, I will not tell Legolas."

"Thank you."

"Come on, let us get you something to eat. You must be starved."

"I'm not hungry."

"If you do not eat, I am not above getting someone to force feed you. I will not have you dying while I am here."

"I am not eating. I don't want to live here anymore. I want to home Linwë."

"I will be right back," Linwë said, opening the door. "Maybe Mithrandir will be able to help you, I am sorry, but I cannot. I will try to get a hold of him." With that she stepped out into the hall and closed the door.

A/n: I know… I know… It took me forever to update I haven't been on for a long time either. I've been trying to revise this and am doing fairly well on it. Just small changes but they do make it sound better. Well… on with the review responses.

Rayame: Hey! Yeah… I just talked to you. Haven't heard any more news. The next news I get I hope is very good! I'm so tired of worrying! You forgot the 'h' in Schroeder's name. Thanks for the review!

Heather Martin: Um… I think if you go to www (dot) hobbitslive (dot) com you can get a lot of elvish phrases. At least… I think that that's where I got them. It's a really good site. So… did she answer wisely? I'm not sure myself. You have to keep the title in mind though. And she still has her boyfriend… or does she…?

Faerlain: So sorry but I've got to say this: laws are made to be broken. This reminds me of a week ago. My dad and I had "The Night of the Endless Clichés. It was fun! OH! I watched Ned Kelly last night! Sooo sad! Thanks for the review!

Ilenya the Fair: So, did she make the right decision? I wanna learn archery! I wanna go to Thailand! I wanna I wanna I wanna!!!! Sorry… weird mood. Thanx for reviewing!

Emiliana: I finally updated… Even though you've already read this. You didn't have time to tell me your opinion. I want it now! Alright… you were good! You guessed it, but I think that I might have told you that already… I could be wrong. Talk to you later. Grandpa's not doing good…

If I don't update soon again, happy holidays!


	10. Saying Goodbye

I feel that I must tell you this before you start reading, some of you may think by the chapter title that this is the end. It's not. There is still a lot more to go. I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 10: Saying Goodbye**

When Linwe had said she would get someone to force feed her, she hadn't been lying. She went straight to her room to get Amras.

"How did it go?" Legolas blurted out right when Linwë stepped into the room.

"Unfortunately, not very well. She thinks that you hate her," Linwë burst out laughing.

"What is so funny?" Legolas asked, alarmed.

"You proposed to her! I mean… Amin hireatha," she said, calming down some. "Actually the reason I am here now is because she is still refusing to eat."

"What do you have in mind?" Amras asked.

"Well, she has to eat…"

"Are implying that we force her to eat?" Legolas questioned.

"I suppose so," Linwë answered.

"Fine, let us get to it then," Legolas started out of the room.

"We will need food first, Legolas," Amras pointed out.

"True. I will get that now and meet you in her room."

"Alright." They exited the room and went their separate ways.

On the way to Rachel's room Linwë informed Amras on where Rachel was from and her whole story, then an idea came to her.

"Amras, do not tell Rachel that you know. I promised her that I would not tell Legolas, but I never said that you would not. After we get her to eat, you can tell him, because I feel that he needs to know. After that, let us see if we can get them back together."

"You have got a lot on your plate."

"Me, no. Us, yes."

"Us? I have never played matchmaker before and I do not intend to start now."

"Shh, we are here."

"Rachel, it is Linwë and Amras, we are coming in," Linwë announced.

Legolas was only a minute behind them.

"What is he doing here?" Rachel whispered to Linwë when he came in carrying the food.

"He is worried about you. We all are. I told you that if you did not eat, that I would get someone to force-feed you. You still have the choice of eating on your own. Which is it?"

"Fine, I'll eat. Leave the food and go."

"Sorry," Amras told her. "We do not leave until you eat."

"Duh. Why do you have to be so smart? Fine, you can stay. Give me the food."

Legolas handed it over and Rachel ate it all. She was starving. The three watched in amazement. They had never seen a lady eat so fast.

"Happy?" Rachel asked sarcastically once she had finished. "I ate. Now get out."

"Rachel, I am sorry, but you had to eat," Linwë apologized.

"Sure, I am sorry too, but I want to go home. Why won't you let me?"

"There must be other ways. Do not lose hope until we speak with Mithrandir."

"You don't know what it's like. If you knew, then maybe I would listen to your reasoning, but not until."

"Rachel, you cannot leave. Tell me what you meant. Please, do not leave me here. I still love you, if that is what you are worried about."

"No, Legolas. Just leave. All of you."

"I will leave only if you promise not to kill or hurt yourself," Legolas compromised. "Unless you promise me that, I will not leave you alone at all."

"Fine. I won't hurt myself, now leave."

"Come, Legolas, let us go." Amras pulled the concerned elf out of the girl's chambers.

When they arrived back at the Linwë's rooms, she invited Legolas and Amras in.

"Amras has something to tell you."

He told Legolas everything that Linwë had told him. When he was finished, Legolas could barely speak.

"What I do not understand is why she did not tell me. It is not like I would have shunned her for it."

"She wanted you to think that she was like everyone else here, but when you started taking an interest in her, she thought that if she did tell you, that you would stop," Linwë explained, though she had never spoken to Rachel about it, she assumed that was the reasoning behind everything.

"But I would not have!" Legolas exclaimed. "I would not have cared. It is just surprising to find out when I propose."

"We know that Legolas, but Rachel obviously does not. Maybe you should tell her instead of us," Amras suggested.

"I suppose it is worth a try, at least now that I know," Legolas agreed. "I will go in an hour, she should be over our previous visit by then."

"Alright, good luck. Stop back afterward, will you?" Linwë asked.

"Sure. If this does not work, I do not know what will."

"If it does not work, I am sure we will think of something," Amras assured his friend.

"I hope you are right. Good-bye, I shall see you later."

* * *

"Rachel, may I speak to you?" Legolas called, standing outside her door.

"That is what you are doing now, is it not?" she shot back.

"I mean civilly. Please let me inside so that we may talk things over."

"Alright," she sighed, and opened the door to admit the elf.

"Rachel, I am not angry with you. I never was. When you told me those things in the forest, I was merely shocked. Please, forgive me for misleading you."

"There is nothing to forgive, my lord. I should have told you about my past a year ago, as Linwë advised me to, but I was stubborn and didn't want many people, err, elves to know."

"You did nothing wrong. Everyone is allowed to have secrets, even you."

"Thank you, Prince Legolas."

"You need not call me "Prince". You have always just called me Legolas. Would you explain to me now what you meant by your words?"

"I expect that I owe you an explanation." Rachel related everything about her life to the prince. When she finished, he was amazed.

"Amras did not tell me that well," he muttered under his breath, forgetting that she had elven hearing.

"What?" she exclaimed, not pleased at all that Amras had told Legolas about her past, or that Linwë had told him. Of course, she thought, I did give her permission to tell Amras if she didn't tell Legolas, but now both of them knew. She hoped that they would keep the secret to themselves.

"Linwë told Amras. She also told Amras to explain to me about you because she thought that I deserved to know. I wish that I would have heard it from you, but you refused to tell me. I am happy that I know. Please forgive them. They did nothing wrong. If you are angry with anyone, be angry with me for listening to them and for not pressing you for more information before any of this happened."

"Legolas… I am sorry. You have no idea just how sorry I am. I am sorry for the pain that I have caused you and that that you have afflicted on yourself. I am even more sorry for the pain that I know that you will feel when I tell you this… Legolas, I… I cannot marry you. Now that you have heard my story you must understand. It would not be right."

Legolas nodded dumbly.

"If you'd like to leave now, I would understand."

"I believe that I shall leave you now," he said slowly, carefully selecting each word before giving it life. "But only because I must speak with my father, you see, he will be leaving in three months and wishes me to marry before I am crowned King."

It was now Rachel's turn to gape. Yes, she had known that the king wished his son to marry, but it was a complete surprise how little time he truly had. It shocked her even more that of all the elven maidens, she had been his first choice.

Legolas tried to read her expression but all he found was surprise. Surprise at what though? That he didn't know and probably never would. He looked straight into her eyes. To Rachel it felt like he could see right through her into the very depths of her soul. She was afraid to break eye contact but didn't care at all for the seeing look that graced his face for a quick second before he turned and left her to her own devices.

She was stunned. She sat and stared, her eyes unseeing, thoughts of marriage and home, and Kyle, and her parents, and Faerlain, Itarilde and Gildor ran rampant through her mind. And that was how Faerlain found her.

"Rachel? Linwë told me that you are speaking now. I wondered… well, Gildor and I wondered if you would care to join us for dinner tonight. I swear I am not a horrible cook."

"I would never believe you if you said that you were. Are elves bad at anything?"

"Saying goodbye…"

* * *

a/n: So... that's depressing. I hope you enjoyed this! This is your present for the holidays. I won't be updating until after Christmas.

Rayame: You spelledLinwë right, only it has the ë with the dots over it. Yeah, she's stuck in the middle, but in a way she's putting herself there. Thanx for reviewing.

IwishChan: I know, I feel sorry for them too, but I do enjoy torturing them.

Faerlain: You appeared again

Emiliana: thanks for reviewing

Heather: did you like the site?

I'm in a hurry. Got to go.


	11. The Question Game

**Chapter11: The Question Game**

The following days found Rachel in her room or the library. Linwë came by occasionally to check on her and to continue their lessons.

Though she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to face Legolas. Amras was her informant, telling her when he was planning on visiting so she could disappear temporarily. Linwë, of course, didn't approve. She thought that Rachel should speak with him, though she refused to give the reason.

A week after their last discussion Legolas surprised her, showing up at her room unexpectedly.

"Would you care to join me for lunch? I know the perfect place to go. It is truly beautiful, you would enjoy it, especially since you have seen little of Mirkwood."

"I would love to!"

"Wonderful. I will fetch us some food. You stay here. I will return soon."

He walked off and left her to her reading for a while longer.

When he returned he was carrying a basked. The two set off into the woods.

"So where is this place that you're taking me to?" Rachel wondered.

"It is a secret. You must not tell anyone of its existence. I always go there to think. You will see it when we get there, but I do believe that you will enjoy it."

"I have no doubt that I will. To hear a man calling a place beautiful convinced me," she laughed.

"I am no Man. I am an Elf."

"Well, I meant a male."

"Do males never say beautiful where you are from?"

"Not very often."

"Oh."

They walked for a few more minutes before Legolas stopped.

"Close your eyes."

"What? I won't be able to see where I'm going," she protested.

"I will guide you. Do not worry. Do you not trust me?"

"I trust you, but…"

"Close your eyes," he instructed, lightly running his fingers over her eyelids and closing them. He placed the basked in her hands then got behind her and took hold of her shoulders. He guided her carefully, making sure to warn her of the smallest root.

"Alright, you may open them now."

She slowly peeked through her lashes and gasped. She had heard the sound of water, but she hadn't expected anything this breathtaking.

There was a gorgeous waterfall, spilling into a crystal clear pond at the bottom. Wildflowers grew all around and the trees surrounding it were a brilliant green. The shortest one was at least twelve feet in height. Bushes with red and blue berries were scattered around, adding color to the already perfect picture. Swans swam tranquilly in the pool.

"This is… amazing," she finally managed. "I can see why you come here."

"I am glad you like it. I thought you would. Come, let us eat."

He set out a blanket, two wine glasses, a bottle of fine wine, some fruit and bread. He had noticed that while Rachel enjoyed the meals in Mirkwood she seemed to avoid the dishes with meat.

Being near one o'clock now both Legolas and Rachel were very hungry but Rachel didn't start eating. She was a bit nervous knowing how Legolas felt about her.

Legolas, noting how she looked, said, "Go ahead, eat. I know that you are hungry."

He poured both glasses of wine while Rachel took a bite of bread. When he passed Rachel her glass she took a quick sip. The wine was extremely strong.

"You're trying to get me drunk, aren't you?" Rachel accused.

"No. I only went to the kitchens and requested some nice wine. Is it too strong?" he asked, taking a sip himself. "I believe that it is. If you would rather we could drink fresh water from the lake."

Not wanting to seem ungrateful she replied quickly, "No, no, it's fine, just stronger than anything that I've tasted before."

Legolas started eating now, enjoying the time that he was spending with Rachel.

"I have a proposition," Legolas said when they were about halfway down with their meal.

"And that is…?"

"We play a question game. We exchange turns asking and answering questions about ourselves."

* * *

A/n: I am extremely sorry that it has taken me such a long time to update! I've have been so busy with school, work, going to basketball games, tennis starting. It's so hectic! I know this chapter is short, but it will give you something to read for a while. Please give me suggestions for the questions. I have a few but I need more! What do you guys want to know about Rachel and Legolas?

Heather: I'm glad you liked the site! Hope you enjoyed the short chapter.

Rayame: I have no clue how long she's going to be there. Which is sad since I'm writing it… But… shhh, they aren't supposed to know about her leaving… Keep it down!

Faerlain: Sorry about not updating soon. We really need to talk more so that you can bug me about writing! I need someone to do that!

IwishChan: After reading this far you should realize that it's going to be a while before I stop torturing them! Any suggestions? I need a lot of them!

Emiliana: Thanks for updating! No, that's not all I'm going to say this time! I agree. We do have problems saying goodbye! That's probably a good thing though. Well, talk to you later! (Bug me about updating and writing! You're the only one that does it! Please!)


	12. More Answers

**Chapter 12: Answers**

Rachel was leery, she wasn't sure that she wanted Legolas to be able to know everything that he wanted to know about her.

"You may decline a question if you do not wish to answer it."

"I guess… I start. Let me think… what is it like being a prince?"

"Have we not discussed this before?"

Yes, but I want specifics."

"Alright. Being Prince is… very demanding. I must go to every ball and be present at every political discussion. People expect me to be pulled together all of the time whether I am or not I have to act like I am. There is a lot of pressure to do everything correctly. It is nearly impossible to have fun but I manage… Many elven maidens wish they were you because I am a prince. Many elves envy me. What they do not realize is that I too, in turn, envy them."

"I never quite though of it like that."

"It is my turn now. What is your family like?" he questioned.

"My family… well, I'm the only child. My parents seem to fight a lot but they always work it out. My grandpa died when I was eight and my grandma when I was nine. My other grandparents live in… well, they live on the other side of our land. It would take a very long time to ride there. It would be like traveling from Forlindon to Mordor. They have also deemed us sort of… unnecessary." She stopped after that, hoping he didn't ask for more about her grandparents.

"I am so sorry… I…" Legolas stuttered after a moment of silence.

"No, it's fine. You get used to it after a while."

"That is something that no one should have to get used to."

"I am sure that it happens here also. But, on to a different subject… tell me about your family," Rachel requested.

"You would know my father if you had gone to meet him. He is strict but a good father and a great king. He is kind when he needs to be. I'm the oldest so I am Crown Prince. Next oldest is my brother Gilethil, then the youngest is Solvanna, my sister." Legolas smiled when he mentioned Solvanna, it seemed that she was precious to him.

"And your mother?"

His smile disappeared, the shine left his eyes and they started glistening as the sunlight hit the unshed tears. "I think…" he took a deep breath. "I think that it is time that we return home."

The trip was silent on the way back. Legolas was contemplating how to best explain the "mother situation" while Rachel felt horrible for messing up the nice date that he had prepared.

Linwë found Rachel in her room sitting cross-legged on her bed staring at the cold stone wall. "How did it go?" Linwë questioned. Her only answer was a very unenthusiastic "Great." She decided that Rachel didn't feel like explaining so left her friend to her own thoughts.

* * *

A runner caught Legolas on the way back to his rooms and told him that there was a visitor waiting for him in his father's study.

The man was bent in half in the chair, his grey cloak strewn over the arm. He commanded attention.

"Gandalf!" Legolas cried happily. "You're here!"

"Yes, my friend. Now, what is it that you need my help with? Why was I called here in such a hurry?"

"'Tis not an emergency. I had not meant it to be portrayed as such. I apologize."

"It makes no difference, but why was I summoned?"

"This is difficult to explain. About a year ago Gildor found an elf lying unconscious in the forest. She knew not where she was but she insists to everyone she trusts that she is from Earth, not Middle-earth, where there are no elves, dwarves, hobbits… only Man. She wishes to return there to her family and friends."

"You enjoy her company and wish her to be happy."

"Yes. I wish her to stay here to be with me but that is not what she desires. I thought that you might be able to find a way to help her that we have not yet been able to find."

"I shall try my best, my friend, thought I have heard of nothing like this before. In order to do anything of importance I must speak with her. In the meantime, I need rest and you, you need to fix whatever is wrong between you two."

"How long do you need?"

"Allow me one week to research and rest before I meet with… her. What is her name?"

"Rachel."

"Her name certainly fits her story then. I promise you that I shall do my best to find an answer to this very unusual problem."

"And I will do my best to convince her to stay in the short two months that I have left before my marriage to Saurëttln."

"Now I have the real reason…" Gandalf pondered.

"And you are the only one other than my father who knows. This must be kept a secret or all of my hopes are gone. Please, remember."

"Of course, of course, but did you consider telling others close to you. Your friends may be able to think of things that you have not yet tried."

* * *

A/n: Sorry it took so long again. I wrote this stuff on a bus to and from Chicago. So I'm sorry if it stinks. Ideas are appreciated as is constructive criticism. If you find mistakes… please tell me. Also, the name Saurëttln… remember it. It's important. 

Gotta go now. I'll try to write a lot and quickly. And have longer chapters. Thanks y'all. No responses this time but thanks to **Emiliana Keladry, Faerlain, little lady, Rayame325,** and **Alasse**.


	13. Being Different

**Chapter 13: Being Different**

"Maybe. I am planning on trying one last thing. If I am unable think of anything else after a week I shall ask for help. Tomorrow I am going to explain something to her… How long do you need to research?"

"Allow me one week."

"Yes, of course. Until then, and maybe before… good-bye."

* * *

The next morning Linwë entered Rachel's room to find that her friend was already awake and ready for the day, dressed in what Linwë believed to be the most beautiful everyday dress in the girl's closet, made from a light material in forest green, it swayed with any breeze. The fabric barely brushed the floor. The sleeves, stopping three-quarters down her arm, belled out and draped down, coming to her knees.

"You look wonderful!" Linwë complemented. "Do you have anywhere to go today?"

"No, I just thought that I'd try dressing like the rest of the normal elves do. I guess I'm tired of being different…"

"Well, you can come around and spend the day with me," she offered. "'Tis better than hiding in the library all day is it not?"

A knock at the door announced the arrival of Legolas. "Would you mind if I steal her for an hour or so? I have something I need to show her…"

"I do not mind a bit. She is all yours for however long you need." Linwë half bowed out of the room, giving Rachel a quick reassuring smile.

"I didn't know if you were still speaking to me," Rachel said to break the silence.

"Why would I not be? I came up with the idea of the question game, if anyone's the blame is mine. Please, come with me." He held out his arm to Rachel delicately, or as delicately as she could with her sleeves, laid her hand on it. They walked through the gardens together, going through some that Rachel had never found before. Legolas stopped at curve in the path, coming to a halt right in between two shrubs.

"It's this way," he said, guiding her through them. "This," he said, gesturing around, "is a memorial to my mother."

* * *

Alright, I apologize, this is a short chapter and very bad. I promised to update soon and have longer chapters. I'm going to try to be better about it. It's the summer now so I don't have school distracting me. I'm going to try to write every night… Well, I don't have internet access at the moment so I can't get to my reviews this time. But I am very appreciative of the reviews that I got. I'll do my best to remember who all reviewed…

Heather Martin… don't worry about not reviewing for a while. Your daughter is much more important. I'm just glad you did review. Thanks so much!

Rayame: I'm not sure if you reviewed or not, but if you did, thanks a lot! If you didn't… well, I have your opinion on it anyway. Thanks for reading and helping me with ideas!

Emiliana: I hope you're having fun in Florida! Are you there with school or church? I hope you have time to review when you return! I can't wait to see those pictures! I can't believe that I finally wrote! Hopefully it won't take quite as long next time.

Faerlain: Everything you said is appreciated. Thank you for sticking with this! You don't know how much it means to me!


	14. Summer Solstice

**Help Me Get Back**

**Chapter 14: Summer Solstice**

Rachel slowly proceeded into the small clearing, walking toward the statue commemorating Legolas' mother. Engraved into the stone she read in elvish:

Elowen, mother to many, Queen to all,

The Kingdom was devastated to hear of her fall.

She remained for as long as she could,

But she sailed into the West as we knew she would.

She left behind a family all with her golden hair

They all will sail to the Undying Lands, to meet their mother there.

"What happened to her?"

"She was out in the forest and was attacked by orcs. Father never told us more than that but we all believe that something else happened also, or the orcs did something to her that was more than skin deep. She was never the same when she returned…"

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea… Please forgive me for bringing it up. I know it must be painful."

"I do forgive you, though I had never held it against you. As you said, you had no idea. I could never blame you for it, it was only, I had held it inside for so long, refusing to discuss it with anyone outside of my family."

"She was so beautiful." Rachel stepped closer to admire the wonderful craftsmanship.

"Everyone says that I have her eyes. I wish I could remember her more. She was always running around. She never tired. She would play with us whenever she could, even after having to attend banquets or long audiences. Happy, that is another thing I remember. You almost never saw her frown. Her smile was radiant, like yours… Rachel, now that I know more about you, I wish you to know, that my offer still stands. I wish for you to be my bride and queen. I always have."

"Legolas, I appreciate that, I really do, but… well, I can't. I believe that I love you, more perhaps, than I will ever love anyone else, but I do not belong here. I belong back on Earth with my family, with my friends. Especially around this time, it's been a year and I haven't been able to see any of them. I miss them so much. Think of your mother, Legolas. You miss her, but you know that you will be able to join her in the Undying Lands whenever you wish. For me, I don't know if I will ever be able to see them again. If I was to be your bride, I would want to be able to give you all of myself, and my true self, but as long as I am here, missing my family, I will not be able to do that."

"Will you, at least, permit me to spend as much time with you as I am able to do while you remain here?"

"I do not know how long that will be, but, I suppose, yes. I enjoy your company, Legolas. Try not to stifle me though, spending too much time together isn't good either."

"Legolas… where are you? Are you here in the garden?" came a voice from the other side of the shrubs.

"That's my father's messenger. I must go. I will see you tomorrow?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder to look into her eyes as she answered.

"Yes. You will see me tomorrow." After Legolas left Rachel sighed and collapsed onto the ground. "Why must I make such difficult choices? I am only 18. Why must I choose between love of my life and my life? I wish he could have come to Earth. Maybe then we wouldn't have these problems." She glanced up at the memorial; the statue of Elowen seemed to be gazing comfortingly down on her. "I wish you could speak. Maybe you could tell me what I should do."

* * *

"Gandalf, why did you call me so urgently?" Legolas questioned after following the messenger back to his father's study. 

"Legolas, you do not have four more days to convince Rachel to stay with you. You have tonight. At 11:37 tomorrow, the sun will be the furthest away. It will seem to stand still. Rachel arrived here one year ago during the summer solstice if the information I have received is correct. I believe that she must be at the same location that she was found at at 11:37 tomorrow morning to be transferred back to her home."

"No… I only have one night left with her? How can this…" Legolas pulled himself together. "Thank you, Gandalf. I really do appreciate your work. I shall go and inform her of your findings now."

"Legolas, I am sorry that you do not have more time to share with her but I believe that this is the only way, otherwise she will need to stay for another year."

Legolas couldn't think of any way to respond to this so he gave Gandalf what he hoped was an understanding sort of look before turning away from the old wizard's piercing eyes.

He made his way slowly through the corridors toward Rachel's room trying to decide how he was going to tell her the news. He couldn't convince himself that he really wanted to tell her, he just kept repeating in his mind over and over again that this was what he needed to do, this was what Rachel wanted. She needed to be back with her family in her own world, but still, he couldn't help feeling selfish about his love. When he reached her room and found that she wasn't there he jogged out to the gardens, hoping that he wouldn't lose his resolve.

She was where he had left her, except that she was sitting now. Her face was tilted up toward the sky but her eyes were shut tight.

"Rachel…" Legolas said tentatively.

"You're back!" she exclaimed, opening her eyes and turning to look at him.

"Yes. I've something to tell you. Gandalf… Gandalf believes that he has found a way to send you back to your world."

"That's great!"

"You must be where you were found tomorrow at 11:37, I believe he said. It is the summer solstice. I will travel with you there if you would like."

"Yes, yes. I would love for you to come with me. Gildor should come too, seeing as he found me. I'll need to say good-bye to Faerlain, Linwë, Itarilde, Amras. Oh, Legolas. Thank you for getting Gandalf here!" She jumped up and hugged him. He put his arms around her but he could not share the joy that she felt.

* * *

He let her be that night. She was around everywhere, thanking people and saying good-bye. He couldn't stand to hear her saying good-bye, he knew that his would be coming all too soon. The next morning, though, Legolas was the first to her room. He woke her at seven to be sure that she was prepared to leave. They sat in her room discussing her time in Mirkwood until nine when they left for breakfast. Rachel's friends joined them there to say their final farewell. Finished with their meal the two made their way out to the stable to join Gandalf, Gildor, and a small guard that would be accompanying them to the clearing. 

They arrived at the clearing thirty minutes early. The guard took posts in the surrounding forest, Gildor among them. This left Gandalf, Legolas, and Rachel. Mercifully, Gandalf quietly announced after fifteen minutes that he thought Shadowfax needed some water and left them to their good-byes.

They talked about nothing for ten minutes but when Gandalf returned they knew their time was running short. Legolas did not ask her to stay, he knew that it would do no good and Rachel could not bring herself to ask him to leave his family, home, and kingdom.

"Good-bye, Legolas," Rachel said, a single tear escaping her eyes. "I love you."

Legolas said nothing but instead, bent down and captured her lips in a soft kiss. She didn't pull away, she didn't even want to. She could have stayed with him forever there if she knew that her family would know that she was alright.

"Legolas," Gandalf said warningly.

They parted reluctantly and Legolas stepped back. There was a brilliant flash of pure white light and Rachel found herself back in her world, back, in her own backyard.

* * *

A/N: That's the end of it. Thanks for sticking with me! I hope you enjoyed it more than I enjoyed writing it. I'm not sure I like the ending but that's how I decided to write it and that's how it's going to stay. Here are the last review responses! 

Emiliana: I hope you enjoyed it. I'm proud of myself for updating. I can't say the same forRayame though... or you for that matter, but that's a different story... Are you in Mexico? I can't bring myself to remember when you wereleaving or comingback.Hope it goes/is going well.

Rayame: I've updated. You have no excuse not todo thesame. Chapters 3 and 4. It took me an hour to write this.Uh. I'm going to finish my next story before starting to update it. It'll go so much easier. All I'll have to do iswrite responses... Ah, the life. Well,thanks forreviewing!

Faerlain: I was going to put moreof you in it but then I got sick of the whole story and ended it as quickly as possible. I have another story started but you probably won'tbe reading that one since it's under Tamora Pierce. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks so much for reviewing!


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